Why being a Bloodwise Ambassador is important to me

When I was 7 years old I lost my dad to leukaemia. It goes without saying that it was a hugely tough time for my family and I. A few months earlier I had joined the Scouts as a Beaver, despite what had happened I continued to go every week (supported by my wonderful Mum who was and still is my rock!); it was the one hour I could run around, have fun and pretend everything was ok. During my time as a Beaver I got involved in social action (There are a huge array of definitions for this but social action is basically anything that has a positive impact on society. From chatting to someone with Dementia to running campaigns and events) and through helping others I inadvertently helped myself! My mental health benefitted, I learnt life skills and most of all it helped me get through what was an incredibly tough time.

I’m now 18 and since then I’ve thrown myself into social action in every way I can: I currently lead the Scout Associations national community impact project: ‘A Million Hands’, I’m an ambassador for Step Up to Serve UK and have recently had the honour as being announced as one of Bloodwise’s first ever national ambassadors!

So why am I an ambassador for Bloodwise?

For me one of the hardest things about losing someone to blood cancer is how isolated you can feel, it’s almost as though you’re the only one in the world going through it. Sadly I never knew about the fantastic work of Bloodwise (then Leukaemia and Lymphoma research) at the time of losing my dad and I want to make sure nobody that has lost someone to or, is going through Blood Cancer feels alone. We are a community and can all support each other in so many ways, from a quick chat to attending events to raise money to beat blood cancer sooner. I’ll be championing the services of Bloodwise at events and shouting about the great work we do on social media and beyond until everyone going through blood cancer, be it directly or indirectly gets the support they need.

I’ll also be representing Bloodwise at national cancer events, when speaking to MP’s, stakeholders and decision makers to champion the cause, raise awareness and attempt to influence decisions for the better of our community.

Comments

Lizzie Goates

29.03.2016

Jack, I am so sorry you have been so personally affected by blood cancer, and I was so terribly sad to read you lost your dad to leukaemia, please accept my sincere condolences.

It is wonderful to read about how involved you have become in Scouts and how much this community supported and shaped you. I particularly enjoyed reading “through helping others I inadvertently helped myself! My mental health benefitted, I learnt life skills and most of all it helped me get through what was an incredibly tough time.” This is so encouraging, and really highlights how helpful reaching out to others can be; especially as you point out how isolated you can feel after sadly losing someone to blood cancer.

Thank you so much for becoming a Bloodwise Ambassador, we are thrilled to have you on board and look forward to working with you to raise awareness about blood cancer, and the support that is available to anyone affected by it.